TOKYO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks extended gains to reverse an early drop on Friday, with bargain-hunting following the markets recent run of closing highs providing early support.
As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 57.55 points, or 0.30 percent, from Thursday to 19,142.86.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 5.36 points, or 0.35 percent, at 1,535.77.
Notable early advancers comprised pulp and paper, bank and rubber product-linked issues.